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Salisbury Post Top 10 Poll

Vote for your favorite stories of the year! There are 36 story topics below. Choose up to 10 of your favorite topics. Just vote for 10 stories — giving your top vote a 10. Your second best story would get 9, third gets 8, etc. If the story wasn't in your top ten, either skip the topic or choose "not in my top 10." We'll post the results online and in the Salisbury Post. Vote by Wednesday to have your results included. Remember — read the entire ballot. The topics are not necessarily listed in chronological order. Happy New Year and thanks for participating!
Lexington man kills Davidson County deputy when officer tries to serve him with warrant. Man leads deputies on chase, finally killing himself before capture.
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Not in my top 10
F&M Bank strikes deal with the county to buy Main Street property, which will become new headquarters. F&M plans to open Easy Street corridor to rear garden and donates second building to Waterworks.
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Not in my top 10
Parents of North Rowan Middle School students come to school board warning that school is out of control and begging for help. Under school board's pressure, McCann assigns extra personnel to school for discipline. Principal Dr. Lamont Foster soon gets transfer, and new principal seems to turn things around.
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Not in my top 10
China Grove town board becomes embroiled in police department feud, debate about annexation, the cost of repairing its water and sewer systems and plague of metal-eating squirrels.
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Not in my top 10
Jim Graham, the Sodfather, longest serving state commissioner of agriculture in America, finally retires. He gets a highway (part of U.S. 70)and a building at the county fair named for him. He's subject of a butter sculpture at state fair and many goodbye banquets.
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Not in my top 10
Richard Moore decides not to seek re-election and then faces indictment on six felonies. He suddenly pleads guilty to several counts of inappropriate sexual conduct with teens. He opens a Blimpie sub shop.
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Not in my top 10
Construction falls behind on Southeast Middle School. Contractor replaces superintendent, but school opens with student body split between other overcrowded middle schools. Finally, school opens on Oct. 11.
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Not in my top 10
Chamber of Commerce and other county economic groups knock down old building and spend year erecting new Gateway center at the entrance to Salisbury on Innes Street.
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Not in my top 10
After two-week emotional trial, jury acquits Kathy Miller of murdering her father, Leon Wilson Jr., for his money.
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Not in my top 10
Judge Ted Blanton draws a lot of attention when he stops workers finishing new courtrooms, costing county money. Then mother complains that he had no right to put her out-of-control daughter in a dog kennel at the courthouse.
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Not in my top 10
Redistricting divides the school board, the county and a special redistricting committee. Salisbury wants to fill its vacancies, but students at West and South don't want to change schools. Some say race is the issue. Others say close Salisbury and build new school where the students are. Voters defeat Salisbury advocate Vick Bost. Tune in next year.
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Not in my top 10
DSS board member Lee Clement Piper hosts New Year's Eve party for her daughter's friends and gets busted when police find barrels of beer and lots of liquor. She is convicted, but state board refuses county commission's demand to remove her.
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Almost 2,000 people lose jobs or are laid off, and Rowan loses several industries, including Ball Corp., Federal Mogul and Color-Tex. Freightliner lays off a third of its work force, and Pillowtex accepts a union, closes Park Avenue plant, idles workers for weeks and finally files for bankruptcy after CEO Chuck Hansen leaves. State officials open investigations of Color-Tex, which withheld money for employees' health and life insurance but allowed the policies to lapse. Rowan unemployment highest in the state.
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Not in my top 10
Dr. Burnett Joiner suddenly resigns from Livingstone College, prompting student protests on Founder's Day. Neither will talk about the cause. Meanwhile, group of white professors sue the college for discrimination, and Hood Seminary gets church approval to operate independently.
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Not in my top 10
East Spencer becomes one of the first towns in the state to privatize its entire operation. Town employees immediately fired, and questions arise about the firm's method of adding mark-ups (70 percent in one case) to town invoices.
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Not in my top 10
Freedman's Cemetery Committee invites 1,500 artists to propose design for memorial. Sixty-seven respond, and committee finally picks artist Jerome Meadows, from D.C. and Savannah.
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Not in my top 10
For the second time, state report says Rowan's roads are the worst in the state. Committees meet, Rep. Charlotte Gardner tries unsuccessfully to change funding formula and Lorene Coates, campaigning on bad roads platform, defeats her in November election.
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Not in my top 10
State fines Solite $40,000 for emissions of mercury and hydrogen chloride, and high levels of arsenic found near Stanly County plant. State officials begin testing residents for mercury, but those prove negative. Under pressure, Solite agrees to stop burning what the state considers hazardous wastes, though used motor oil is OK.
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Not in my top 10
Cooleemee group launches campaign to buy land and create RiverPark at the Bullhole. Group and the county become embroiled in legal battle with South Yadkin Power Co. over use of dam near the bullhole.
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Not in my top 10
CP&L changes plans for power plant to include two combined cycle turbines that recycle steam and will run more often. That pushes record investment to $400 million, and construction begins.
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Not in my top 10
Want To Be A VJ contest draws national attention to Spencer and the Transportation Museum and probably doubles the population of the town for one rainy night and day, as young people from all over take their chance at MTV stardom. UNCC student is one of two winners and goes on to win runner-up in the national contest. Michael Knox draws rave local reviews.
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Not in my top 10
Food Lion creates holding company - Delhaize America - to purchase Hannaford chain for $3.5 billion. Critics say that was way too much, and stock suffers despite reverse split. Ralph Ketner and others then howl when Delhaize Group proposes buying out the rest of the American company's outstanding stock. Bill McCanless gets seat on Group's board in Belguim.
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Not in my top 10
Animals everywhere. Metal-eating squirrels drive China Grove residents, board crazy. Bears pop up in Richfield, Rockwell and Old Beatty Ford Road. And runaway emu is found.
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Local residents, especially veterans, observe two significant milestones: 25th anniversary of the Vietnam War and later the 50th anniversary of the Korean War.
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Pedestrian bridge at Lowe's Motor Speedway collapses onto U.S. 29 as fans leave race, injuring 100 people, three critically. Tests show acidic grout corroded metal cables, and lawsuits ensue. New bridge opens before big race in the fall.
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Not in my top 10
Water! We got to have water! Drought conditions again show historic weakness of Kannapolis, Landis and China Grove supplies. All three invoke mandatory water restrictions. Finally, Salisbury and county - as part of deal to supply CP&L plant - reach historic agreement to cooperate on building lines to supply south Rowan.
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Not in my top 10
Supt. Dr. Joe McCann announces in June that he'll retire at the end of the year. School board launches a largely secret search and finally hires Alexander County Superintendent Dr. Wiley Doby.
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Not in my top 10
Led by former Salisbury resident and now Raleigh psychiatrist, Milford Hills residents organize in outrage over news that the state found some well water contaminated years ago near the Associated Asphalt plant. Turns out that plant was one of many in the state where the Dept of Transportation had its own testing labs and dumped solvents on the ground. State and federal officials investigate, but state tests show contamination in only one well. City Council decides to crack down on plant, and Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League promises to support the residents.
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Tied to an oxygen tank and committed by judge, 83-year-old veteran comes to VA, pulls gun and shoots VA doctor in the heart. He keeps shooting, and guards finally kill him in a hail of gunfire. Incident prompts stricter security at all VA centers; VA honors four with awards of valor. Deputy who didn't search Johnnie Reid for gun resigns.
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Not in my top 10
After eight-month battle, county strikes deal with Level 3, a worldwide communications company that wants to use part of Plantation Pipeline but pay residents and the county little for right of way. Price goes from $1 to $12 a foot, and Level 3 agrees that landowners must approve any other use of the pipe.
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Supreme Court knocks down prayer at high school athletic events, though school bands and choruses continue to use religious themes. East Rowan student organizes two community protests in support of prayer.
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Granite Quarry convulses. Fire Chief and most of volunteers, including one alderman, resign for lack of support by town board. Board gets new chief, a Salisbury firefighter, and new volunteers and preserves its insurance rating.
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Not in my top 10
Entire nation mourns the death of Lakeina Francis and 15 other sailors killed by terrorist bombing of the USS Cole. Rowan community mourns with the Francis family, which has deep roots in Woodleaf, and supports them as they bury their daughter at National Cemetery annex.
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The Intimidators kick the Boll Weevils out of Fieldcrest Cannon Stadium, and Dale Earnhardt and Humpy Wheeler promise big doings as NASCAR joins up with baseball.
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Election 2000 produces big upsets and changes: Coates unseats Gardner and Belk retires Cohen. West and Aycoth bring new blood to school board; Salisbury advocate Vick Bost is out. Soil and Water provides election drama with recount switching victor by 3 votes. Cunningham beats Keadle in bitterly contested state senate race where residency question persists.Hayes easily beats Mike Taylor, and the whole world holds its breath for presidential drama.
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Not in my top 10
Masked gunmen shoot and rob couple that own A-OK Mart in Salisbury, leaving neighborhood near Salisbury High School fearful. Pralhad Patel dies, and his wife, Kunjbala, survives only because small caliber bullet ricochets off her skull. No arrests yet.
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Not in my top 10
This poll was created on 2000-12-30 11:45:08 by MPC2472107148